Friday, September 13, 2013

Marketing Molly introduced me to Jessica Dringman, who I am excited to announce will be interning for me through her school, Gonzaga University up in Washington.

I am very thrilled to be sharing my clients' marketing challenges and projects with them, and look forward to some fresh insights.

Here is a little bit about Jessica:

"I am currently a senior at Gonzaga with a business marketing major a public relations minor. I grew up in Billings, Montana and am the oldest of the eight children in my family. I have been dancing since I was three years old, and am currently the captain of the Gonzaga Dance Team. I also enjoy yoga, running, and skiing in my free time. I studied abroad in Florence, Italy last fall, so traveling has earned a special place in my heart as well. I plan to move to Seattle after graduation and pursue a career in Marketing."

Thursday, September 5, 2013

I saw this commercial recently and noticed how they reversed roles between mom and dad. The dad is hanging out with the kid, getting dinner ready, and the mom comes in from her day at work. Not only did they have the dad staying at home, but the family dog was more excited to see the woman, than the man. It was just kind of fun and refreshing! Obviously mainstream society is coming to terms that more and more dads are staying at home, as reflected in the ad below.

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Pinterest has proved amazing for some businesses. I started experimenting with it for marketing long before large agencies and other marketing blogs started blowing up about it. I've since seen a direct correlation with Pinterest and web sales for my clients, not to mention the insane traffic flow it brings regardless. But the keyword here is for some. Traditionally, I've said if you have an online store, you're going to have more success than those that don't have a product for purchase online.

Most photos lead to somewhere, and if you're using Pinterest correctly (or others browsing the web pin your items), they will lead to your website. So naturally there is a greater chance of seeing direct ROI with online stores who use Pinterest.

Additionally, the photos have to be aesthetically pleasing, or have a great caption. Since Pinterest is visually driven, you really could have the best recipe in the world with the worst photo, and not see much action. Conversely, you could have an amazing photo staged to perfection that leads to a dead end link, and the repin rate will be through the roof.

With that being said, it's clear people indeed do bookmark things for a later date, filing them away on their vitual pinboard for when they need the product, service, or idea. If everyone was acting on their pins right away, you would not see so many things getting repinned that don't lead anywhere good.

I recently read an article about how Pinterest users are taking their pin information to brick and mortar stores to make buying decisions.

"Recent data distributed by Vision Critical and highlighted in the Harvard Business Review found that 21% of Pinterest users had bought an item in a store after pinning, repinning, or liking the item on the site. Vision Critical describes this as part of a wider phenomenon it calls "reverse showrooming," in which consumers search or browse products online and then enter the physical shop to make a final purchase.(This contrasts with showrooming, which implies handling a product in stores, only to price-compare and buy it for less money online.)"

So this is good news for some who don't sell online but like the idea of a Pinterest presence. Will it be worth your time and energy however? If it's a platform you love being on yourself, absolutely. No harm can come of it. But if you're signing up your business simply because someone told you that you just simply HAVE to be there, give it some good thought first.

I would love to write pages more on this topic, but it's a holiday weekend after all, and I have a redbox waiting for me! Be on the lookout for more in depth articles on the topics of Pinterest.